Percolator top fastening means

ABSTRACT

An electric percolator having a liquid containing section formed from an assembly of glass and other materials fixed together by means of a locking collar. The lid of the percolator is held in place by means of a quick-release latching mechanism which prevents the lid from being disengaged by the lifting motion normally used to open a lid and instead requires a twisting motion which rapidly releases the lid. Simplified electrical circuitry in the percolator utilizes a single lamp that indicates both the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Brewing&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; and the &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;Keep Warm&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; modes of percolator operation. A method is also set forth for assembling a composite apparatus having a glass component which does not require threading, strapping or gluing of the glass component.

Uited States Patent Eaton, Jr. et al.

[ Dec. 16, 1975 PERCOLATOR TOP FASTENING MEANS Inventors: John LittellEaton, Jr., Delanco,

N..l.; Richard Henry Brill; Walter E. Myers, both of Philadelphia, Pa.

Assignee: SCM Corporation, New York, NY.

Filed: May 12, 1975 Appl. No.: 576,412

Related US. Application Data Division of Ser. No. 451,336, March 18,1974.

US. Cl. 220/320; 220/307; 292/256.65; 292/256.6; 220/825 Int. Cl. B65D45/32 Field of Search 220/306, 307, 315, 319, 220/320, 82.5; 292/2566,256.65, DIG. 11

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 7/1924 l-lole 292/2566 X 1/1932Billerman..... 3/1932 Smith 220/320 X 3,270,911 9/1966 Sacks 220/825 XPrimary Examiner-George T. Hall Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Milton Wolson;Ernest F.

Weinberger [57] ABSTRACT An electric percolator having a liquidcontaining section formed from an assembly of glass and other materialsfixed together by means of a locking collar. The lid of the percolatoris held in place by means of a quick-release latching mechanism whichprevents the lid from being disengaged by the lifting motion normallyused to open a lid and instead requires a twisting motion which rapidlyreleases the lid. Simplified electrical circuitry in the percolatorutilizes a single lamp that indicates both the Brewing and the Keep Warmmodes of percolator operation.

A method is also set forth for assembling a composite apparatus having aglass component which does not require threading, strapping or gluing ofthe glass component.

7 Claims, 26 Drawing Figures U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet2of43,926,333

FIG. l6

US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet3of4 3,926,333.

FIG. 24

U.S. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 Sheet4 0f4 3,926,333

2:7 UMP z THERMOSTAT 2 swrrcu 2J8 PRIMARY COIL. 3 D

hk Lzzs PRIOR ART SECONDARY con. :52

Z44 THERMOSTAT4 PR'MARY \257 SWITCH 2 7 con.

FICT.26

PERCOLATOR TOP FASTENING MEANS This is a divisional of application Ser.No. 451,336, filed Mar. 18, 1974.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This inventionrelates to liquid appliances and, more particularly, to an electricpercolator or other liquid heating devices.

2. Description of the Prior Art Glass receptacles have long been favoredin the food preparation field because of the advantages in sanitationand appearance offered by this material. Another substantial advantageof transparent glass is that user of the appliance can easily observethe contents without opening the receptacle. However, glass has inherentdisadvantages which make it less than an ideal material for themanufacturing of applicances. Glass cannot be formed or shaped as easilyas metal materials, nor can it be joined easily with other materials toform complex shapes which are often found desirable for cookingappliances. One of the reasons for this problem is that glass cannot beeconomically mass produced to close tolerances, and the variations inthe size of the glass items produced make joining glass items with anyother items relatively difficult. Also, of course, glass is a relativelyfragile material and, accordingly, glass items usually have a relativelyhigh rate of breakage, especially during manufacturing processes whichrequire extensive handling of the glass item.

To date, two main methods have been used for joining a glass item withanother item to form a composite assembly. These methods are eithergluing the glass to the other item or strapping the glass to the otheritem. The disadvantages offered by gluing are substantial. Gluing is arelatively slow process, very often too slow for efficient massproduction of an item. Additionally, gluing often requires clamping toinsure a strong bond between the elements to be joined, but thisclamping imparts stresses to the glass which may crack or shatter theglass during the production process or later on during normal use of thearticle.

Using bands to bind elements to glass also presents the problems ofstresses imparted to the glass by the band. These bands are usually madeof very strong and hard substances, such as stainless steel, whichcannot completely conform to the surface they surround. Therefore,irregularities in the surface of the glass around which the band isapplied result in less than a complete contact of the band surface withthe glass. This incomplete contact produces stress concentration pointson the glass at the points of contact with the band.

Additionally, the lack of complete contact between the band surface andthe glass produces a rocking or loose fit between the elements whichtends to make the use of the article somewhat uncertain in the mind ofthe user.

Lastly, the space between the glass and the band provides areas whereseepage and/or leakage can occur.

Other problems have been uniquely present in relation to theconstruction of electric percolators or other vessels used for heatingfood in closed containers. In almost all of these vessels, the tops mustbe quickly removable in order to obtain easy access to the inside of thevessel, but at the same time the tops must be securely held in place sothat they cannot fall off when liquid, for example, is being poured fromthe vessel. Obviously, if the top were to fall off during the pouring ofliquid, serious safety hazards would be involved. Nevertheless, almostall of the tops are secured by mechanisms which require a lifting of thetop from the vessel in order to remove the top. Therefore, the sameforces which act against the top when the vessel is tipped to pourliquid also tend to move the top from the vessel. Further, since alifting motion is required, very often the vessel is lifted off thesurface on which it is resting when the top is sought to be removed thevessel is dropped, or worse, inadvertently slammed down on the restingsurface when the top is separated from the vessel.

Another problem has been apparent in connection with the manufacture ofelectrical percolators, and that is the circuitry necessary forindicator lights which show the user of the percolator when thepercolator is in the rapid heating mode for brewing of coffee or liquidas compared to when it is in the keep warm mode or phase of operation.In the past, normal practice has been to use two indicator lights incombination to accomplish this purpose; one or both indicator lightsoperating brightly when the apparatus is operating in its heating mode,and a second light operating when the apparatus is in the keep warm orlower heating mode of the apparatus.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To overcome the problems of the prior art, thepresent invention sets forth an electric percolator having a compositeapparatus including a glass element, in which the glass element isjoined to other elements by means of a locking ring which provides amechanical connection between the glass element and the other element. Amethod is also provided for joining the glass element with otherelements in the composite apparatus without the use of glues or bands.The percolator also contains a quick-release latching mechanism for thelid which securely holds the lid to the top of the liquid container andenables the lid to be quickly disengaged by means of a rotary action.

The electric percolator set forth herein also provides simplifiedelectrical circuitry for the indicator lights which enable a singleindicator lamp to be used to indicate both modes of operation of theelectric heating circuitry for the electric percolator.

Accordingly, in view of the above, it is an object of the presentinvention to provide apparatus for joining a glass component to anothercomponent without the use of glue or adhesives.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which can be quickly, easily,cheaply, and safely assembled.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which can be assembled with aminimum of stress applied to the component parts during assembly.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which is relatively simple tomanufacture and assemble.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which provides for ease ofmanufacture and assembly.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component in which the assembly process forthe components produces a minimum of stress in the glass components ofthe assembly.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component in which the glass components ofthe assembled component are under a minium of stress both during bothduring and after assembly of the composite apparatus.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component in which the assembled componentsare secured in a fixed relationship to each other which preventsrelative movement between the components.

Still a further object of the present invention is to provide acomposite apparatus including a glass component which can tolerate andcompensate for large tolerances or size discrepancies in the elementsassembled in the apparatus.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which allows for accuratealignment of the various components when assembled.

Additionally, it is also an object of the present invention to provide acomposite apparatus including a glass component which is relativelydurable during assembly of the apparatus and in normal use of theapparatus.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which is relatively safe to handleduring assembly and service use.

Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide acomposite apparatus including a glass component which is used forholding liquids which is relatively leakproof.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide acomposite apparatus including a glass component in which variouscomponents are held together by threaded connection without requiringthreads formed in the glass component.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component in which components are joined tothe glass by means of a threadably connected tightening coll'ar.

It is, additionally, another object of the present invention to providea composite apparatus including a glass component which does not permitrocking of the glass component with relation to other components of theassembly.

Also, another object of the present invention is to provide a compositeapparatus including a glass component which includes a component forjoining other components to the glass component and which actsas a guardagainst accidental breakage of the glass component.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a quick-releaselatching mechanism for the lid of a liquid container which prevents thelid from being taken off by a lifting motion, thereby reducing incidentsof accidentally dropping the item when attempting to remove the lid.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide aquick-release latching mechanism for the lid of a liquid container whichrequires rotary movement of the lid for removal of the lid.

An additional object of the present invention is to provide aquick-release latching mechanism for the lid 4 of a percolator in whichthe lid, if not completely latched, will always'be displaced aperceptible distance from the fully latched position to indicate thatthe lid is not fully latched.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a quick-releaselatching mechanism for the lid of a percolator in which removal of thelid removes the entire basket and contents as a single unit.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide aquick-release latching mechanism for the lid of a percolator in whichthe lid can be removed without having to hold the bowl or other heatedportion of the apparatus to assist in removal of the lid.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide anelectrical circuit for an electric percolator which has only one lamp toindicate the appliance is on either a high heating mode or a low heatingmode of operation.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide an electricalcircuit for an electric percolator which is relatively simplified,durable and economical.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide latching meansto releasably hold a composite apparatus including a glass component toa support.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription of an embodiment of the invention, and the novel featureswill be particularly pointed out hereinafter in connection with theappended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side view of a percolatorbuilt in accordance with the teachings of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the percolator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of the percolator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the percolator shown in FIG. 1. I

FIG. 5 is an enlarged side elevation, partially in section, of thepercolator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a side view of the lid and basket pump assembly of thepercolator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the lid shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a top view of the lid shown in FIG. 6.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the underside of the lid shown in FIG.6.

FIG. 10 is a view along lines l0l0 of FIG. 7 and includes a portion ofthe spout member.

FIG. 11 is a side view of the upper portion of the percolator bowlassembly of the percolator shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is a side view, partially broken away, of the bowl spout membershown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 13 is a top view of the bowl spout member shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 14 is a bottom view of the bowl spout member shown in FIG. 12.

FIG. 15 is a view along lines 1515 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 16 is a view along lines l6l6 of FIG. 13.

FIG. 17 is a side view of the spout locking ring for the bowl spoutmember shown in FIG. 11.

FIG. 18 is a top view of FIG. 17.

FIG; 19 is a view along line 19 19 of FIG. 18.

F IG. 20 is a view of a portion of FIG. 19, showing a segment of thetightening collar in extended position.

FIG. 21 isa bottom view of FIG. 17.

FIG. 22 is an exploded view of the lid and basket assembly.

FIG. 23 is an exploded view of the bowl spout assem-.

bly and part of the pump.

FIG. 24 shows a lid partially engaged in the bowl spout assembly.

FIG. 25 is an electrical circuit of the prior art circuitry forindicator lights in an electric percolator.

FIG. 26 is a circuit built in accordance with the teachings of thepresent invention for an indicator light in an electric percolator.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS As shown generally in FIGS. 1through 5, an electric percolator, generally indicated at 40, consistsof a bowl assembly 42 covered by a lid assembly 46 all of which ismounted on a base assembly 44. Thebase assembly 44 consists of a basemember 47, supported by legs 48,

which houses electrical circuitry' for heating liquid in the bowlassembly. The top of the base member 47 is in the form of a disc plate52 having a well 54 centrally located to receive liquid from the bowlassembly where the liquid is heated and then pumped in the normalpercolating procedure. The bowl assembly 42 rests on a gasket 56 whichengages a hole 58 in the bottom wall 60 of the bowl 62 of the bowlassembly 42 to provide a leakproof passage for liquid from the bowl 62into the heating well 54 of the base. A flavor control, or thermostatcontrol 64 on the base member is used to adjust the strength of thecoffee by regulating the heating cycle of the electric circuitry.

A handle 66 extends upward from the base member to engage a portion ofbowl assembly 42 to secure the bowl to the base and to provide means forpicking up the percolator. The handle includes a bowl release latchhandle 68 which is pivotally mounted on the handle at point 70 and whichcontrols a latching member 69 having an aperture which engages aconnecting point 102 on the collar of bowl assembly 42 to be describedin greater detail below. A small spring and locking member 72 in handle66 prevents the latch from accidentally opening to release latchingmember 69, and also lifts latching member 69 when latch handle 68 israised.

STRUCTURE OF THE BOWL ASSEMBLY Bowl assembly 42 consists of a bowl 62and a spout assembly 80. Bowl 62 has side walls 74, a bottom wall 60with a hole 58 in the center to allow for passage of liquid into theheating well of the base assembly 44. Measuring graduations 76 arelocated on the side of the bowl to show the level of liquid or othercontents in the bowl. While the bowl is shown as being made from atransparent glass material, it should be noted that the bowl could betranslucent or opaque, and could be made from a wide variety ofmaterials. The top of the bowl ends in a lip 78 which is connected by anarrow neck portion 84 to a shoulder 82. The diameter of the neckportion 84 is narrower than the diameter of the lip 78.

As shown in FIGS. 5, 1 1, 12, and 23, the spout assembly 80 ispositioned about the bowl from the shoulder portion 82 to above the lip78. The spout assembly 80 consists of three components, a spout member86, a tightening collar 88, and a gasket 90. The spout member 86 has aflared wall 92 which forms the actual pouring spout 94, a conical skirt96' extending upward from a shoulder 98 which in turn connects with acylindrical skirt 100. A latching point 102 is formed on the shoulder 98of the spout member for connection with the latching mechanism 69 on thehandle 66 of the base. Latching member 69 is actuated by movement oflatching handle 68 to engage latching point 102. By lifting latchinghandle 68, the latching member 69 will be raised out of engagement withlatching point 102 to release the bowl from the handle. Of course, thelatching 102 on the shoulder 98 of the spout mechanism could also be agroove or other form of depression on the shoulder instead of aprojection from the shoulder. If a groove or depression is used for thelatching point on the shoulder 98 of the pouring spout, then thelatching member 69 on the handle 66 of the base would have a tongue orother projection adapted to engage the groove when the latching handle69 is placed in the closed position, thereby holding the bowl assemblyto the base.

The cylindrical portion of the spout member 86 has a cylindrical bore104 which is internally threaded by threads 106 having an asymmetricalconfiguration with flat lower surfaces 108 and tapered upper surfaces110. The end of cylindrical bore 104 has a recess 112 adapted to receivegasket 90. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 17-21, the pouring spout member 86 issecured to bowl 62 by means of the tightening collar 88. The tighteningcollar consists of a relatively flat continuous wrench ring 114 havingan irregular edge with projections 116 projecting out beyond the edge ofshoulder 82 of bowl 62 to allow the ring to be rotated by an appropriaterotating tool. An external thread 118 is formed on a plurality ofsegments 120 angularly spaced around the inner diameter of the wrenchring 114. Every thread segment 120 is connected at each of its ends tothe wrench ring 114 by hinge members 122. The segments of thread on eachexternal thread segment form a continuous external thread 118 havingflat upper surfaces 124 and tapered lower surfaces 126 adapted to meshwith the internal threads 106 on the pouring spout member.

The threaded segments connected to the wrench ring are separated by aslit 128, and there is also a space 130 between the bottom of eachthread segment and the wrench ring so that each thread segment 120 isfree to pivot about the wrench ring 114 on its hinge points 122. Theexternal thread segments 120 each have an inner wall 121 with aplurality of support ribs 144 and a lower tapered section 136. Thesupport ribs 114 have an upper tapered section 134 and an innermostsurface 132. As shown in FIGS. 19, 20 and 5, in the normal position ofthe thread segments 120, the inner diameter of the tightening collarwill be the distance between the inner surface 132 of the ribs of theexternal thread segment 120. However, when the external thread segmentsare pivoted backward on their hinge members 122, the inside diameter ofthe tightening collar will then be the distance between the bottomtapered sections 136 of the thread segments which will be substantiallygreater than the inside diameter of the tightening collar when theexternal thread segments are in their normal upright position.

ASSEMBLING THE BOWL ASSEMBLY The increase in the size of the insidediameter of the tightening collar 88 when the external thread segmentsare pivoted back on their hinge points allows the tightening collar orlocking ring to be fit over the lip 78 of 7 bowl 62 to rest on theshoulder 82. Once the tightening collar or locking ring 88 is in placeon the shoulder of the bowl, the pouring spout member 86 can then be fitover the lip of the bowl to engage the tightening collar. Both thepouring spout 86 and the bowl 62 can be held in a stationary positionwhile the locking ring is rotated to draw the pouring spout down on tothe locking ring to fasten the pouring spout to the bowl. As the pouringspout member 86 is threaded onto the external thread segments 120 of thetightening collar 88, the segments 120 will tend to be moveddiametrically inward to securely nestle around the narrow neck portion84 of the bowl 62 underneath the lip 78 of the bowl, thereby firmlyholding the locking ring in place. The support ribs 144 coact with theneck 84 of the bowl to properly position the external threads 118 on thetightening collar 88 for engagement with the internal threads 106 of thespout member 86 by bearing against the neck of the bowl as the threadson the tightening collar are engaged with the internal threads of thepouring spout.

During assembly of the tightening collar or locking ring 88 and pouringspout member 86 forces are produced which tend to lift the tighteningcollar upwardly ofi' the shoulder of the bowl as the tightening collaris rotated to draw down the pouring spout member. The forces on threadsegments 120 caused by engagement of external threads 118 on tighteningcollar 83 and internal threads 106 of pouring spout member 86 willproduce a resultant force perpendicular to the tapered lower surfaces126 of the threads on the tightening collar. This resultant force willhave vertically upward and horizontally inward components. The upwardvertical component of the resulting force on external thread 118 isresisted by the contact between the upper portion of the neck of thebowl with the edges 135 formed at the intersection of the upwardlytapered sections 134 and the vertical surfaces 132 of the support ribs144 of thread segments 120. The inward horizontal component of theresultant force on external thread 118 actts to drive the threadsegments 120 inward until two vertically spaced rings of contact areestablished between the tightening collar and the neck of the bowl. Theupper contact ring consists of the points of contact of edges 135 withthe upper portion of the neck of the bowl. The lower contact ring isformed by the contact of lower portion of the neck of the bowl and edge137 of lower tapered section 136 of the tightening collar.

The lower locking ring is rotated and as rotation occurs, the bottom 101of cylindrical skirt 100 bears against the top of flange 114 oftightening collar 88. After contact is made between the flange of thetightening collar and the bottom of the cylindrical skirt furtherrotation of the tightening collar causes the thread segments 120 to moveradially inward until the contact portions 135 and 137 of the threadsegments contact the glass at the neck portion 84 of the bowl. Whencontact between the contact portions 135 and 137 occurs, further inwardmotion of the thread segments 120 is prevented and accordingly furtherrelative rotation between the tightening collar 88 and the pouring spoutmember 86 is prevented. During the engagement of the external threadsegments 120 with the internal threads 106 of the cylindrical skirt, thepouring spout member will have been drawn down a sufficent distance tocause the lip of the bowl 78 to firmly compress gasket 90 into thegasket recess 112 of the pouring spout 86 to insure that the connectionbetween the 8 pouting spout member and the bowl is a liquid-tightconnection.

By having two vertically spaced rings of contact between the bowl andthe tightening collar, the tightening collar and therefore the entirepouring spout assembly will be securely positioned on the bowl to resistrocking movement between the spout assembly and the bowl.

Since the bowl and the pouring spout member can be held stationaryduring the assembly process, it is possible to accurately align thepouring spout 54 with the bowl 62 to insure that markings or graduations76 on the side of bowl are properly located with respect to the pouringspout. Additionally, it should be noted that because the bowl is heldstationary, there is less chance for its breakage during the assemblyprocess, as compared to the situation where either the bowl or thepouring spout member would have to be rotated.

The projections 116 on the edge of the wrench ring 114 as mentionedearlier project beyond the shoulder 82 of the bowl. These projections inaddition to offering a surface which a tightening tool can grab, alsoact as safety guards to reduce the chance of breakage of the bowl if itis tipped over. By projecting out beyond the shoulder of the bowl, onlythe projections 116 will come in contact with a flat surface on whichthe bowl 62 is tipped. Y

LATCI-IING MECHANISM FOR LID As shown in FIGS. 3 and 12 through 16, thepouring spout member 86 also contains facilities for attaching a lidassembly 46 to the pouring spout in order to cover the bowl assembly 42.The facilities on the pouring spout 86 for latching a lid 146 arecontained on the conical skirt 96 of the pouring spout member. Theseinclude two sockets each designated 138 formed in the conical skirt bymeans of two flat slanted camming surfaces 140, and an overhang section142 protruding out over the camming surfaces 140. Additionally, aplurality of ribs 145 are formed at angularly spaced locations on theinside of the conical skirt section 96 in order to prevent the lid 146from being properly seated if the latching mechanism is not fullyengaged. Additionally, ribs 145 coact with the connecting surface of thelid to properly seat the lid and to prevent the lid from being seatedpast the conical sloping surface of the pouring spout member.

The lid assembly 46, shown in FIGS. 5-10, consists of a lid 146 basketassembly 148, and a pump 150. The lid 146 has a top portion 172 on whicha handle 174 is mounted and an upper sloping section 176 leading to ashoulder 178, which then connects to a connecting portion 180 to acylindrical skirt 182 having a bottom surface 184. The lid handle 174has markings on the top including arrows for unlocking and for thelocation at which the lid to be placed with relation to the spout of thebowl.

The location of the spout 94 with relation to the handle 174 of the lid146 is important because the quick-release latching mechanism whichconnects the lid to the pouring spout assembly 80 must be correctlyaligned to properly operate. The latching mechanism on the lid consistsof a lid spout engaging spring 186 connected to the inner wall of theskirt portion 182 of the lid 146 by any convenient attaching means 188,such as riveting.

The lid spout engaging spring 186 has two arms designated 190 with anengaging tongue 192 at the end of each arm. The normal resiliency ofarms 190 of the lid 9 spout engaging spring urges the tongues 192 outthrough the slots 194 on the skirt 182 of the lid. As shown in FIG. 10,tongues 192 are adapted to engage the sockets 138 in the pouring spoutmember 86 to hold the lid securely in place.

When the lid is properly aligned so that the engaging tongues 192 arealigned with the sockets 138 of the pouring spout member, then the lidcan be inserted straight down into the pouring spout member. The lockingoverhang members 142 above the sockets have a camming action, whichtends to force the engaging tongues 192 and, therefore, the spring arms190 inward as the lid travels downward. When the lid has reached thepoint where the engaging tongues are in registration with the sockets138, then the spring action 190 of the arms forces the engaging tongues192 into the socket 138. Note that the overhang now preventsdisengagment of the engaging tongue from the socket. The only manner inwhich the lid can now be removed is to rotate or twist the lid withrelation to the pouring spout member 86 so that the camming surfaces 140in each socket 138 will tend to force the engaging tongues 192 inwardand allow the lid to rotate to the point that the engaging tongues areno longer under the locking overhang 142.

Once the engaging tongues 192 are out of registration with the lockingoverhang, 142, the resilient forces of the engaging tongues being urgedout by the spring anns 190 acts against the sloping walls of the conicalskirt section 96 producing an upward force which tends to push the lid146 upward and therefore substantially and perceptibly out ofengagement. Additionally, once the lid 146 has risen above the level ofthe upsetting rib 145, the lid 146 will tend to become upset inattitude, as shown in FIG. 24, and the bottom 184 of the lid 146 willtend to rest on one of the upsetting ribs 145 of the pouring spoutmember so that the lid will clearly and visibly appear to be out ofproper engagement.

CONNECTION OF LID TO BASKET ASSEMBLY The lid 146 is connected to thebasket assembly 148 by means of a spring 196 having fingers 198connected to the top of the lid by any convenient fastening means 200.

The basket assembly 148 shown in FIG. 5, consists of a basket 152,having a bottom surface 154 and side walls 156, and a basket tube 158extending upward into the basket in a well known manner. There is a bead160 on the basket tube which is used for engaging the basket assemblywith the lid 146. The pump 150 has a bottom section 162 including a discwhich fits into the well 54 of the base member 47 to receive liquidwhich is heated in the well and driven by the force of the heat up thepump tube. The top of the pump tube 164 extends into the basket tube 158and a spring 166 mounted in the basket tube holds the basket 152 on topof the pump tube in a proper position for perking and presses the pumpinto the pump well. A portion of the spring fits into pump tube 150 tohold the pump tube together with the basket tube 158. A spreader plate168 is mounted on the basket tube and has a plurality of passages 170 toenable water which has passed from the pump tube up into the basket tubeand then over the top of the basket tube and come down onto the spreaderplate to be distributed over the entire area of the basket where it willthen drip on to the coffee in the basket. The spring 166 of basket tube158 fits into pump tube so that when the basket is lifted with the lid,the pump will also be drawn out enabling the lid, basket spreader plate,and pump tube to be removed from the percolator by a single operation.

Referring again to FIGS. 5-10, the fingers 198 of the spring are adaptedto grasp the bead of the basket tube to hold the basket tube to the lid.In order to release the fingers 198, a spreader button 202 is positionedbetween the fingers, and is connected by a shaft 204 to a basket releasebutton 206 positioned in a recess 208 of the lid handle. A spring 210acts against the release button 206 to urge the release button andtherefore the spreader button to the upper or closed position forfingers 198 so that the lid spring 196 will normally engage the basketunless the button is depressed.

To properly prepare the percolator for use, the user first fills thebasket 148 with coffee and attaches the spreader plate 168 to the baskettube 158. The pump unit 150 is then inserted into the basket tube andthe entire unit attached to the lid 146. The lid is then placed andlatched on to the pouring spout member 86 where it is securely heldagainst the pump tube spring and any forces which would normally beencountered either by accidentally dropping the percolator or normal useof the apparatus.

When it is desired to remove the coffee making equipment from thepercolator, the lid handle 174 is merely rotated and the lid with theentire basket assembly is easily removed from the bowl of the percolatorwithout ever having to touch the basket assembly. The pump 150 andbasket 148 are then removed from the lid by merely pressing the button206 on top of the lid handle to drop the pump and basket at anyconvenient location.

The operation of quick-release latching mechanism of the lid and therelease mechanism for the basket assembly does not require any pullingaction to be exerted by the user of the apparatus. Instead, the userwould have a tendency to press downward on the lid when removing it fromthe pouring spout and similarly presses a button down to discard thebasket assembly. Therefore, there is almost no necessity for the user ofthe device to have to grasp any portion of the apparatus which might behot at any time when removing the lid or the basket assembly.

Of course, the lid can be used on the bowl without the pump basketassembly, since the connection of the pump basket assembly to the lid isindependent of the connection between the lid and the pouring spoutmember.

SIGNAL LAMP TO INDICATE MODE OF OPERATION As shown in FIG. 5, a lamp 212is mounted within the base member 47 underneath a translucent window 214of the disc plate 52. Depending upon the mode of operation of thepercolator, this light will glow either brightly or dimly, When thepercolator is in a high heating mode, as for example when it is brewingcoffee, the lamp will have a bright glow, while when the percolator goesto the keep warm mode in which it provides just enough heat to keep theliquid in the bowl warm the lamp will glow relatively dimly.

The percolator requires only one lamp to signal both the high heat andthe keep warm mode of operation. In the past, two lamps were often usedto provide this function. The circuitry utilizing two lamps is shown inFIG. 25 in which electrical terminals 216 are connected to a thermostatswitch 218 having contacts 227 and 226 for directing current to aprimary coil 220 and a secondary coil 222 in accordance with thetemperature sensed by a bimetallic rod 224 which will move actuatingmember 225 to open contacting points 226. In the high heating mode, allof the contact points of switch 218 are closed so that power will flowfrom the power line 217 of the switch through lines 232, 221 directly tothe primary coil 220, and then additionally to a signal lamp 230. Whenthe temperature reaches a desired point, the bimetallic switch will openthe contact point 226 disconnecting the line 232 to the primary coiland, therefore, forcing all of the current to go through contact 227 tothe secondary coil 222 in series with the primary coil. Voltage to theprimary coil 220 is now substantially reduced by the large resistance ofthe secondary coil 222 that has gone into the line and, accordingly, thevoltage available to lamp 230 is much reduced. Therefore, the secondindicating lamp 230 will go out when the secondary coil is brought intothe circuit to cut down the amount of power expended and, therefore, theheat produced by the appliance. Since lamp 230 will not be visible whenthe secondary coil is operation, it is necessary to have a lamp 234constantly operating whenever power is provided to the thermostat switchand this lamp therefore is used to show that the device is plugged inand also acts as an indicating light to indicate when the percolator isin the keep warm mode of operation.

The circuit of the present invention is shown in FIG. 26 and hasterminals 236 feeding power through line 238 to a thermostatic switch240 which has contact points 241 and 242, with contact points 242 openedby a bimetalic rod 244, and actuating member 245. Thermostatic switch240 can be considered as a tandem pair of single pole single throwswitches. During the high heating cycle, contact points 241 and 242 willbe closed, and power will go from line 238 through contact 242 of thethermostatic switch 240 to lines 246 and 248 to the primary coil 250.Additionally, a portion of the power will go to the lefthand portion 253of secondary coil 252 through line 254 and from there through line 256which is connected at the center of the secondary coil to the lamp 258.Also, some current will follow from power line 238 through contact 241of thermostat switch 240, through line 257 to the other side 255 ofsecondary coil 252 and from there through line v256 to lamp 258. Thecurrent flowing to the secondary coil through lines 254 and 257 ineffect splits coil 252 into two impedences in parallel, thereby reducingthe total impedence so that the lamp 258 will light relatively brightlyto indicate that the percolator is in the high heat mode.

When the temperature of the liquid in the bowl becomes sufficientlyhigh, the bimetallic rod 244 will break the lower contact 242, forcingall of the current through line 257 from the thermostat to the secondarycoil 252 which will now be in series with the primary coil to therebyreduce substantially the current flowing to the combination of theprimary and the secondary coil. Also, the lamp 258 is now in a seriesrelationship with only one-half 255 of the secondary coil so that theimpedence is increased as compared to the impedence of the two halves ofthe secondary coil in parallel. Therefore, the lamp will immediatelybecome dimmer upon the opening of contacts 242 to indicate that thepercolator is now on a low heat or keep warm mode of operation.

An alternate wiring for the circuit of the present invention reversesthe positions of the terminal 236 and line 238 with line 257, withrelation to contact points 241 of thermostatic switch 240.

The advantages of the percolator described herein are numerous. The useof the locking ring or tightening collar for connecting the pouringspout to the bowl to form the bowl assembly enables the rapid,efficient, safe, and economical manufacture and assembly of a relativelycomplex composite apparatus which includes a glass component. Thelocking ring is easily placed over the lip of the bowl and then thepouring spout member is securely attached by rotating the locking ringwith an appropriate tool. No adhesives, glues or other bonding methodsare necessary for connecting the pouring spout assembly to the bowl.Further, it is not necessary to clamp any items to the bowl in order tosecure them. Therefore, the stresses on the bowl or the glass portion ofthe composite apparatus are rela tively low with almost no residualstresses placed on the glass because of the assembling operation.

The components of the resultant force produced on the tapered surfacesof the tightening collar thread force the tightening collar into theproper position on the neck of the bowl so that there are two verticallyspaced contact circles between the bowl and the tightening collar. Thevertical displacement of contact circles ensures a stable fixedconnection between the pouring spout assembly and the bowl, free fromany rocking or other relative movement between the assembled components.

It should also be noted that the use of the tightening ring forconnecting the pouring spout member to the bowl enables bowls ofrelatively wide dimensional tolerances to be used since the materialfrom which the tightening collar is made is relatively flexible, and thetightening collar will be deformed during the assembly process until itmakes sufficient contact with the neck of the bowl to provide a firm andsecure connection. Contact of the tightening collar to the bowl andtherefore the connection of the pouring spout assembly to the bowl willoccur all around the bowl, and not merely at one or two isolated pointsas is often the case with adhesive assemblies or assemblies which havebeen banded together. Accordingly, the stresses placed on the bowl willbe evenly distributed and, therefore, of much lower magnitude.

The method for assembling composite articles descrbied provides secureconnections that make it possible to produce articles which wereconsidered impractical previously. Now the more complex andcomplexlyshaped parts of the article which require greater dimensionaltolerances can be made from easily manufacturable materials while theremainder of the assembly can be made from glass or other materialsconsidered diffi cult to work with, so that the item as a whole willhave the desirable characteristics associated with the use of thedifficult material.

As mentioned previously, the structure and method of manufacturing thebowl assembly allows the pouring spout to be accurately positioned withrelation to the glass portion of the apparatus so that markings or anyother design can be effectively used.

It should also be pointed out that the construction of the tighteningcollar using several hinged sections to form the external thread of thecollar has many advantages over other methods. It avoids the problem ofstripped external threads often associated with segemented externalthreads because all of the threads on the tightening collar areconnected to a fixed point of reference, namely the wrench ring.Therefore, there can be no misalignment of individual thread segmentstending to strip the threads. Additionally, the wrench n'ng presents anaesthetically pleasing appearance to the purchaser of the device sincethere are no large gaps or other discontinuities which cannot beadequately covered during the assembly process.

The service life of the percolator incorporating the quick-releaselatching mechanism and the bowl assembly with the tightening collarshould prove superior to those of other apparatuses which contain glasscomponents. As pointed out the tightening collar used in bowl assemblyprojects past the bowl to act as a guard protecting the bowl againstimpact upon accidental tip- P Additionally, service life is extendedbecause accidental banging and tipping of the appliance is avoided. Theusual appliance requires a lifting or pulling motion to disengage thelid. Often, the user of the usual appliance, while intending to try andlift off the lid, will lift the entire appliance off the table on whichit is placed, either because the bottom of the applicance was not heldsecurely or else because the force required to remove the lid was largeenough to require the person to use both hands in order to attempt topull the lid from the body of the appliance. In such circumstances, theperson seeking to remove the lid often inadvertently bangs the appliancedown on top of the table when he is finally able to disengage the lidfrom the body of the apparatus.

In contrast, by requiring that the lid be twisted for removal, it is thenatural approach to press down on the lid when twisting, and pressingdownward will tend to more firmly seat the appliance on whatever supportsurface it is resting when the lid is removed. This, therefore, willtend to reduce the number of times the percolator is banged and also thenumber of times the percolator will tend to be accidentally pushed orlifted ofi the support surface.

As described in the operation of the device, a simple twisting operationon the cover will enable the user of the percolator to remove the lid,the basket containing the cofi'ee grounds, and the pump all in one easymotion. Then the basket and the coffee grounds can be disposed ofseparately by merely pressing on the release button on the top of thecover. This simplicity of operation makes it unnecessary for the user atany time to touch the hot coffee grounds, the pump assembly of thepercolator, or any other hot part of the appliance, thereby greatlyenhancing the safety of using this apparatus.

As pointed out. the electrical circuitry for the pilot light operationof the percolator is relatively simple and should insure relativelylonger, trouble-free service life for the device as compared to thosepreviously used in the prior art, since the signal light is subjected torelatively low voltage during most of the time it is on and low voltagegreatly extends lamp life.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials andarrangements of parts which have been herein described and illustratedin order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by thoseskilled in the art within the principle and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A quick-release latch mechanism for holding the cover of a vessel,comprising:

at least two sockets in the wall of said vessel;

each of said sockets having a horizontal camming surface to provide acamming action upon horizontal movement relative to said horizontalcamming surface;

socket engaging means on said cover adapted to engage said sockets insaid wall of said vessel;

spring means in said cover urging said socket engaging means againstsaid horizontal camming surface to engage said socket.

2. The quick-release latch mechanism according to claim 1 wherein eachsockets in the wall of said vessel further comprise:

a vertical camming surface to provide a camming action upon verticalmovement relative to said vertical camming surface;

said vertical camming surface extending over said horizontal cammingsurfaces to prevent upward disengagement of said socket engaging means.

3. The quick-release latch mechanism according to claim 2 wherein:

the inner surface of the wall of said vessel includes an upwardlywidening conical section; and

said sockets are disposed at said upwardly widening conical section; and

said spring means urge said socket engaging means against said upwardlywidening conical wall when not engaged with said sockets in said wall sothat when said socket engaging means are in contact with the upwardlysloping concial section the spring action of the socket engaging meanswill urge the cover upward toward the wider portion of the concial wallsection.

4. The quick-release latch mechanism according to claim 3 wherein:

said cover means includes passages dimensioned to align with said socketmeans of said vessel; and

said socket engaging means extending through said passages in saidcover.

5. The quick-release latch mechanism according to claim 4 furthercomprising a plurality of upsetting ribs disposed on said upwardlywidening conical section of said wall to seat said cover and to insuresaid cover is always disposed in proper relation to said upwardlywidening conical section of said wall.

6. The quick-release latch mechanism for the cover of a vessel accordingto claim 5 wherein the cover of the vessel further comprises means toreleasably hold a container to the cover independently of the positionof the cover with respect to the vessel.

7. The quick-release latch mechanism for the cover of a vessel accordingto claim 6 wherein said means to releasably hold a container to saidcover comprise:

a handle on the top of said cover;

spring holding means disposed on the underside of the cover beneath saidhandle extending downward from said handle to hold a container; and

release means on the topside of said cover extending through said coverand connected with said spring holding means on the underside of saidcover, said release means operative to disengage said spring means fromsaid releasably held container upon actuation of said release means.

1. A quick-release latch mechanism for holding the cover of a vessel,comprising: at least two sockets in the wall of said vessel; each ofsaid sockets having a horizontal camming surface to provide a cammingaction upon horizontal movement relative to said horizontal cammingsurface; socket engaging means on said cover adapted to engage saidsockets in said wall of said vessel; spring means in said cover urgingsaid socket engaging means against said horizontal camming surface toengage said socket.
 2. The quick-release latch mechanism according toclaim 1 wherein each sockets in the wall of said vessel furthercomprise: a vertical camming surface to provide a camming action uponvertical movement relative to said vertical camming surface; saidvertical camming surface extending over said horizontal camming surfacesto prevent upward disengagement of said socket engaging means.
 3. Thequick-release latch mechanism according to claim 2 wherein: the innersurface of the wall of said vessel includes an upwardly widening conicalsection; and said sockets are disposed at said upwardly widening conicalsection; and said spring means urge said socket engaging means againstsaid upwardly widening conical wall when not engaged with said socketsin said wall so that when said socket engaging means are in contact withthe upwardly sloping concial section the spring action of the socketengaging means will urge the cover upward toward the wider portion ofthe concial wall section.
 4. The quick-release latch mechanism accordingto claim 3 wherein: said cover means includes passages dimensioned toalign with said socket means of said vessel; and said socket engagingmeans extending through said passages in said cover.
 5. Thequick-release latch mechanism according to claim 4 further comprising aplurality of upsetting ribs disposed on said upwardly widening conicalsection of said wall to seat said cover and to insure said cover isalways disposed in proper relation to said upwardly widening conicalsection of said wall.
 6. The quick-release latch mechanism for the coverof a vessel according to claim 5 wherein the cover of the vessel furthercomprises means to releasably hold a container to the coverindependently of the position of the cover with respect to the vessel.7. The quick-release latch mechanism for the cover of a vessel accordingto claim 6 wherein said means to rEleasably hold a container to saidcover comprise: a handle on the top of said cover; spring holding meansdisposed on the underside of the cover beneath said handle extendingdownward from said handle to hold a container; and release means on thetopside of said cover extending through said cover and connected withsaid spring holding means on the underside of said cover, said releasemeans operative to disengage said spring means from said releasably heldcontainer upon actuation of said release means.